PHILADELPHIA: Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump met on Tuesday for their first and perhaps only debate, an arena that could have a big impact on the November 5 election as polls show a tight race.
Here are some takeaways from the discussion:
His competitors are RILING
Harris made it a point to get under Trump's skin, as his campaign predicted.
He urged viewers to attend Trump rallies, where he said Trump would say outlandish things like air currents causing cancer (something he actually has, he said) and where, he quipped, the audience would leave. due to fatigue and frustration.
Trump, who prides himself on the crowd he draws, is understandably angry.
“The rally, we have the biggest rally, the most incredible rally in the history of politics,” he said. He accused Harris of trolling the audience at his rally.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump returns from a commercial break during a presidential debate with US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
Trump then falsely claimed that immigrants in the country were killing and eating people's pets illegally in the city of Springfield, Ohio, an unconfirmed claim that circulated in the media. social and confirmed by Vice President JD Vance.
“In Springfield, they eat the dogs! People come and eat cats! said Trump. “They eat the livestock of the people who live there.”
Springfield city officials said the reports, which ABC anchors pointed out after Trump's comments, were false.
“Talk about extremes,” Harris replied, laughing.
I NEED PROTECTION
One of Harris' goals, as a former California attorney general, is to call Trump out of his past, especially his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
An hour into the debate, his strategy seemed to be paying off. Trump has always been on the defensive.
Democratic presidential candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris poses during a presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, former US President Donald Trump, hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, September 10, 2024. (REUTERS)
When asked about the siege of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he insisted that “it had nothing to do with it, except that they asked me to give a speech.” He also confirmed that he won the 2020 election.
Harris used Trump's actions as an argument for the country to turn the page.
“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let's be clear about that, and of course he's having a very difficult time handling that, but we can't have a president of the United States who tries to as he has done in the past, to raise the aspirations of voters for free and fair elections,” said Harris.
The vice president took a little more dig at Trump, saying world leaders are “laughing” at him and calling him a disgrace — language that Trump used at a rally about how he said how other countries view President Joe Biden.
Minutes later, Trump exploded, saying Harris received “no votes” in claiming the Democratic nomination and suggested replacing Biden as part of a coup.
“He hates him,” Trump said of Biden. “She can't stand him.”
The exchange may have helped Harris' argument that Trump, as he put it, doesn't have the “temperature” to be president.
Republican and former US President Donald Trump speaks in the White House on the day of his debate with Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris. , in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on September 10, 2024. (REUTERS)
SEPARATION
Deep in the debate, the hot topic of race came up. Trump was asked why he publicly questioned Harris' dual heritage as a black and South Asian woman.
“I don't care who he is,” he replied. “I read that he is black. Then I read that he is not Black.”
Asked to respond, Harris accused Trump of using race to divide Americans during his tenure. He recounted how he and his father rejected black activists in the 1970s and how Trump's complaint led to five black and Latino men who were convicted of attacking a jogger in Central Park in New York in 1989.
Recently, he publicly questioned whether President Barack Obama was an American citizen, Harris noted.
“I think it's a tragedy to have someone running for president who has tried to use race to divide the American people, consistently, all his life,” he said.
“I think the American people want better than that,” Harris added. “We don't need a leader who keeps trying to point the finger at Americans.”
Instead of trying to defend his record, Trump turned to the economy and tried to impress Biden's economic policies on Harris. “He's trying to distance himself from Biden,” he said.
Harris used the attack to position himself as an agent of change.
“I'm certainly not Joe Biden, and I'm certainly not Donald Trump,” Harris said, “and what I'm offering is a new generation of leaders for our country.”
hands
While discussing the debate, there was a question about how to greet Harris and Trump, who have not yet met.
Harris finally solved the problem. She walked up to Trump on stage, held out her hand and introduced herself as “Kamala Harris.”
It was a humiliating way for Harris to approach a man who had spent weeks insulting his race and gender.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (right) shakes hands with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a presidential debate at the Center for National Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 10, 2024. (AFP)
EDUCATION IN ECONOMICS
In the opening minutes of the debate, Trump and Harris went to war on one of the biggest issues for voters: the economy.
Harris explained the economic policies he has released in recent weeks, which include a lot of credit for small startups. Trump focused on the tariffs, saying they would protect the US economy from unfair competition abroad.
While both sides took the jabs, Harris had to speak for the first time on a topic where he leads Trump in terms of voter confidence. He seemed to force the former president to his feet, and Trump defended himself against one of his strongest issues.
“He doesn't have a plan,” Trump said after Harris' comments. “Like Run, Spot, Run.”
LOVE ABOUT ABORTION
The two candidates have also debated abortion, an issue where polls show Harris has the upper hand.
Trump defended a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended constitutional protections for abortion and returned the issue to individual states, arguing, wrongly, that it resulted it's what Republicans and Democrats want. Democrats have long supported the constitutional right to abortion.
“I did a great service by doing that. It took courage to do that,” Trump said.
A member of the media uses a cell phone as a screen to show the presidential debate, as the Republican president, former US President Donald Trump, and the Democratic president, US Vice President Kamala Harris attends a presidential debate hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States, on September 10, 2024. (REUTERS)
Trump asserted that some states allow abortion after birth, a point corrected by ABC News anchor Linsey Davis.
Harris expressed anger at Trump's assertion that abortion becoming a states' rights issue is a popular outcome, pointing to states that have passed restrictive bans.
“That's what people want?” Harris asked. “People not being given care in the emergency room because the doctors are afraid of going to jail?”
Trump was asked if he would veto the federal abortion ban if Congress passes it. He insisted that this would never happen, but refused to answer the obvious question.
TODAY'S WORLD
One of the most heated political debates came as Trump and Harris clashed over how to handle Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The candidates' answers showed the differences in their views of America's role in the world.
Trump refused to say he wanted Ukraine to win the war, even when ABC anchor David Muir pushed him to do so, saying only that he wanted to end the conflict as quickly as possible.
Harris fired back, saying what Trump really wants is a quick and unconditional release from Ukraine.
“If Donald Trump were president, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now,” Harris said.
'THE JUSTICE IN SEARCH
In a heated exchange, Trump and Harris accused each other of conspiring to “weaponize” the Justice Department to prosecute their enemies.
Trump has said that the charges against him for conspiracy to overturn his 2020 election defeat and for ignoring classified documents — as well as his conviction for forging documents related to secret payments to porn stars – is the result of a conspiracy orchestrated by Trump. Harris and Biden. There is no evidence for this statement.
Harris shot back by pointing out that Trump has promised to go after his enemies if he wins a second term.
“You know, this is someone who has publicly said that he's going to, I mean, end the Constitution,” Harris said.
The exchange underscored how both Harris and Trump see the stakes in this election. Both see their opponents as a threat to democracy itself.
